Ethel and Jayson's Wedding: The Reception

After the simple wedding at Mary The Queen Parish, guests were all invited to Ethel and Jayson's wedding reception at the Edsa Shangri-La Hotel.

The newlyweds were showered with confetti from the party popper.

After which they were asked to cut their really CUTE blue and white wedding cake. It was so pretty!


They also did the traditional wine drinking with their arms linked together. Wish I had a taste of that Monet wine, too! :)

And when the guests start tapping their glasses, it's time for that KISS!

Since it was past 12NN, people were already hungry. And when we were fed, we were fed well! I loved the set menu they had prepared for their guests, like for their appetizer we had the Chili Fried Soft Shell Crab with Wild Berry Vinaigrette, Seared Scallop Wrapped in Parma Ham Caviar.

Although I'm not a fan of vinaigrette, I enjoyed the scallops and the soft shell crab! Really good for jumpstarting your appetite for the upcoming meals.

After the appetizer, we were given soup which I forgot to take a picture of. But it was called Lobster Reduction with Basil Prawn Wonton. I did not enjoy this, particularly because the soup was thick and they didn't cook the wonton very well, you could still taste the flour in the tough wrapping.

To cleanse our palette, we were given Lemon Sorbet with Pistachio Nuts.

I only had one small teaspoonful of this thing because it was just TOO SOUR! It was good, but damn! Whoever squeezed the lemons had too much fun pouring it into the mixture! They even forgot there's such a thing as sugar!

The kicker was really this: Thyme Roasted U.S. Tenderloin with Eda Mami Beans, Creamed Leek Garlic Mash and Port Pink Pepper Reduction.

The meat was thick, but it was so tender! We didn't have problems cutting it with the knife and chewing on it. It was also so tasty! Perfect combination with the mashed leek thing. Great meal! :)

For dessert, we were given Glazed Chocolate Pave Layered with Jasmine Tea Infused Ganache and Anis Spiced Wild Berry Reduction.

I really don't know what a REDUCTION is, but whatever they are, it was really good! :)Good meal for a bunch of hungry guests!

During the meal, the newlyweds were asked to go table hopping for the usual picture taking. They had also prepared a really cool AVP/MTV, which we really enjoyed watching. It was here that the real deal on the love story was finally revealed!


Ethel and Jayson met when he was serving his OJT in Ethel's family's company. They were introduced to each other, and obviously sparks flew. Jayson must have reall given it his all, even going all the way to a town in Batangas where Ethel was with officemates just to see her.

It was on Ethel's birthday, August 11, when she finally "answered" Jayson during her birthday dinner with the family. The proposal came several months later, on February 14, 2010, at the Wheel of Fate in Enchanted Kingdom (a popular theme park here in the Philippines).

And like what they say, the rest is history. :D

Earlier during the reception, it was announced that there would be a very special guest who will be singing. Turned out, this mystery guest was ERIK SANTOS. For foreigners who get to read this, he's this big shot crooner here in our country. His ticket to fame was winning this reality singing competition some time ago.

Ethel's mom apparently, is the huge fan of this guy. He sang a couple of songs for the guests, but he also sang a couple more to which the newlyweds danced to.


Ethel and Jayson's wedding also served us a reunion for me and a couple of my blockmates. Here's Kym, me, and Doreen with the newlyweds.

It was really fun to catch up with each other, especially with Doreen whom I haven't seen for a couple of years now! Still pretty as ever! :)

Like their church ceremony, the reception was also simple but it was really fun. I noticed how the guests ranged from family, relatives, and a few friends, really an "intimate" bunch. And I am privileged to have been part of their special day.

To extend their warm thanks for being with them on their big day each guest received this cute keepsake. A butterfly inside a glass. I already have this on display in my room! :)


Wanna have your reception at the Edsa Shangri-la just like Ethel and Jayson? Here are their contact details.
Edsa Shangri-La
1 Garden Way
Ortigas Centre
Mandaluyong City 1650, Philippines
T: (63 2) 633 8888
F: (63 2) 631 1067
W: http://www.shangri-la.com/en/property/manila/edsashangrila

My Good Friend's Ever Ever After

It doesn't matter how long you and your boyfriend have been together. If it is the perfect time to be together and forever bound by marriage, it will come! I've had friends who've been together for about 8 years but still things came up and it ended their relationship. There are some who have been together for 2 years but end up happily married. But this story is somewhat more special, this is the story of how a 1 year and 4 month old courtship ended up in the altar.

Last Saturday, December 11, a really good college friend of mine Ethel got married to her first love, Jayson. She’s my first friend (within my circle of close friends) to get married and I wouldn’t pass it up for the world! And I was surprised she was the first one to get married. Her wedding was also the second I’ve been to this year, after my cousin’s Cebu wedding.

I remember around July or August of this year when she sent me an instant message asking me, “Mai, kung ikakasal ako pupunta ka ba?” (“Mai, if I were to get married, will you go (to the wedding)?”). To which I replied to with a resounding yes! Definitely yes!

Here’s a short story. We went to college in De La Salle University, we were blockmates when I was still majoring in Organizational Communication. I think because we were both only kids, was the reason why we became close. She has always been boyish, a total cowboy! She would be comfortable in jeans and sneakers, and we'd have the time of our lives laughing at her when she wore a skirt or a dress.

Believe it or not she wanted to be a soldier, and not just an ordinary foot soldier, but one who marched down the front lines and even wanted to sign up at the Philippine Military Academy. She was one step closer to her dream of becoming a soldier when she signed up for our Reserved Officers Training Corps (ROTC). I was an officer; she was part of the Shore Patrol. She would’ve become a much better officer than me, she was always with us in the ROTC office, she actively helped in our duties, in short she loved the job – maybe I should’ve given it to her instead.

We also bonded over basketball. We’d trudge on over to Araneta and watch and cheer our lungs out for our school.

We also went out to the beach or to the mall. We were almost inseparable in college. And even after graduation, we tried to remain in constant communication with each other.

Fast forward to today, she’s now Mrs. Ethelynda Tee Aguila, and I couldn’t be happier. When she walked down the aisle, I couldn’t hold back the tears. I was crying tears of joy! She was radiant, like a true blushing bride on her wedding day.

That would be Jayson, the groom, the guy with a lot of heart and guts, story about their love life LATER! By the way, I almost became commentator/reader for the mass. The real commentator was late, and so Ethel “assigned” me to replace her.

Here are photos of her wedding at Mary The Queen Parish, Greenhills, San Juan. It was simple, but you could just feel the LOVE.

The facade of the Church.

About to exchange their vows.

Saying their "I-do's"

Ethel putting the ring on Jayson's finger

Sharing their first kiss as husband and wife

Signing their marriage contract

Here are more pictures







With the groom's parents

With Tita Linda, Ethel's Mom





The traditional showering of the bride and groom with flowers and the blessed aras (coins)

To my dear friend Ethel, and to her now-husband, Jayson I wish you have a blessed and fruitful life together. Believe in the power of marriage and the happiness it will bring to the both of you. It will never be perfect, just like Fr. Mac said in his homily, but it'll be up to the both of you to make it perfect! I just want to say I am so happy for the two of you! :) Best wishes Ethel and Jayson!

CLICK HERE FOR THEIR RECEPTION AT THE EDSA SHANGRI-LA HOTEL! :)

The Start of New Beginnings

I know I've mentioned this in a previous entry. Last July we finally moved in our new house. Mom spent an awful LOT of money to transform it into a cute and charming house. It's not big and it's really nothing grand, but my few friends and relatives who have seen it find it adorable and even say it has character.

It took a lot of getting used to since it's so far from everything. We used to rent this apartment in Makati which was near the mall, the grocery, and work. Everything was accessible. But now that we've moved to Cainta in the province of Rizal, even going to the mall can prove to be a hassle. It's funny cos up to now, we still buy our Alkaline water at the water refilling station beside our old apartment, we still go to Ayala every weekend, and Mom gives me ALL the bills that can't be paid through BPI Phone banking so I could pay it at the bank. I guess old habits just die hard, ey?!

Our life is kind of different, and somewhat complicated, but at least now we have a house we can call our own. And to start our new life in our new home, even if we've been living there for over 4 months now, we finally had our house blessing last November 27.

Mom and our helper, Ate Dor, had been preparing for this since Friday night. Since I'm no good with cooking or anything to do with food prep, I just watched them. And come Saturday, we waited for Fr. Hazel to come and bless our humble abode. Here are some of the photos:




It's just funny that Fr. Hazel seemed to be expecting a big family. He was looking for KIDS, and I think he was sort of disappointed to see adults. Well sorry Father, no kids yet hahaha!

As for the food that was prepared a night before, we ended up having enough food for about 30 people. Mom got this attitude from my grandmother who always made sure there was PLENTY of food. If there were leftovers (which happens all the time), they're wrapped in foils and given to our relatives, much to their delight! :)

We had Chicken Fingers which we fried on the day of the blessing to keep it crispy. We also mopped the excess oil with paper towels. Mom's a health-freak so this HAD to be done.

Also on the health-side, Mom also made salad out of apples and carrots with walnuts. She mixed the fruits in All-Purpose Cream, then added the walnuts after.

Always present in special occasions (especially my birthday, at my request), Mom made her super special Baked Lasagna. My God I will swear on my life that this is PURE, SHEER GOODNESS!

My officemates and friends LOVE this! What I know is that Mom mixes cheese with the spaghetti sauce already, and uses not just any kind of ground beef, but ground sirloin. Then after baking, she tops it off with MORE CHEESE!! Oh yeah! I can die eating this thing! :D

Last but not the least, we had Refrigerator Cake for dessert.

Mom "accidentally" discovered this, because it's not the usual mango ref cake. She told me she was eating Graham crackers and decided to play around with it. She took a banana sliced it and put whipped cream. It was that good, she really had to make it for our house blessing. And true enough, it was good! Not too sweet, just the way we like it. Perfect with coffee, too! :)

That would be my Aunt, Uncle, Mom, and Father Hazel enjoying the food! :) My Aunt and Uncle came in time for chow time hahaha!

It felt so different after the house was blessed, not that there was anything funky going on in there. It's just there's this peace I couldn't put a finger on.

And also this Christmas is going to be our first Christmas in the house. I'm really excited! I'm very sure it's going to be the first of many happy Christmases ahead! :) It's our home now, all ours! No more thinking of rent! It may be far, but I always enjoy coming home to it every night despite the traffic! :)

The Failure That Was KITARO

After marveling at the cool lights and sounds over at the Ayala Triangle Gardens, it left Mom and me totally famished! It also did NOT help that hundreds of families were having their Sunday night family dinner at the restaurant row! So we were left to find a restaurant in nearby Salcedo Village.

Since it was a Sunday, understandably a lot of the food establishments were closed. It was also a bit late, we were walking around at 8pm...and believe it or not even Starbucks was closed!

We were about to give up on our food hunting, when we saw a lone restaurant still open, its bright lights drawing us to it like moth to fire. It was a miracle...or so we thought.

Kitaro over at the Salcedo Carpark Building was the only resto open, and we were so hungry we decided to just go for it. We saw families, who I think came from the lights and sounds show, waiting for their food.

Their interiors were cozy and bright, and it wasn't really hard for us to find a table. The set-up was ideal for families since they had long tables .

But as soon as we got to take our seats, well...that's when the problem started. There were no servers around, so I had to take the menu from their counter. It was fine, maybe they were busy, so I let it pass.

We ordered our usual favorite Japanese food, Maguro Sashimi, Tempura Udon, and Mom ordered the Teriyaki Chicken Bento Box.

I started looking around, and noticed that 4 out of the 5 families that were there were still waiting for their orders. They had been there before we arrived, and they still had no food. Then I saw that there were only 2 servers that night, and that was why it was SLOW!

There were even 2 gay dudes (no offense meant) who were hungry as hell. They were given menus but obviously there was no server to take their orders so they bailed...A GOOD CHOICE! When they left, I overheard one of them say in a snooty manner, "Ang tagal!" ("It's taking forever!")

We waited a good 30 minutes for our food to arrive, and if you're hungry 30 minutes IS FOREVER! I followed up everything thrice. And when the food arrived this is how it looked:

Maguro Sashimi, that did NOT LOOK FRESH!

Tempura Udon. The noodles tasted like FLOUR, the soup was so-so, and they had so much vegetables and "garnish" you couldn't understand what it really was.

Teriyaki Chicken Bento Box. This took forever for them to make. The chicken was hard, obviously not fresh from the stove.

This totally sucked! I LOVE Japanese food, and will eat at ANY Japanese resto in any given time. But after that experience with Kitaro at the Salcedo Carpark I WILL NEVER EAT THERE AGAIN!

We left and didn't leave a tip. And walking out we saw the 2 gay dudes happily eating at the Mini Stop Convenience Store right beside it. And I wished we just ate there, they have good fried chicken and we would have paid LESS!

If anyone from Kitaro's management gets to read this, please do something about your service. It's really disappointing. Thirty minutes for food, then end up tasting crappy is really bad PR!

The Christmas Spirit at the Ayala Triangle Gardens

My Mom and I firmly believe that the Philippines is THE Christmas capital of Asia, if not the whole world. We Filipinos start Christmas preparations as early as when the BER months start and we start the countdown at 100 days before the Big Day. You probably live in a burrow or have a heart as cold as stone, if you don’t feel the Christmas Spirit in our country.

And to heighten the Yuletide feel, the Ayala Triangle Gardens put up a lights and sounds show. Heard about this from my Mom, and while stuck in traffic along Ayala Avenue one night, I saw the dancing lights and I knew that was it.

So one Sunday, Mom and I went to see it for ourselves, and it was just hands-down BEAUTIFUL! On a Sunday night, there was traffic build-up along Paseo de Roxas because of the hundreds of families wanting to see it.

I immediately set up DSLR and took as much pictures as I could as we were kind of late. We barely even made it to the last show! And thank God we got there in the nick of time, it was just so amazing! The lights danced along with the Christmas music, and people were just in awe, and so were we!




Of course it’s an opportunity for Mom and I to take pictures with the lights. :)


Created by light designer Voltaire de Jesus and sound designer Jethro Joaquin, the lights and sound show started last November 20 and will run until December 24 everyday from 6pm to 8pm. Every 30 minutes the gardens will be showcasing 10-minute shows.

So don’t wait until the last minute, let the kids and the kids-at-heart enjoy this beautiful show! I’m sure all of you will enjoy it!

After the show Mom and I were famished. But since there was a multitude of people, the restaurants in the area were packed with families having their Sunday night dinner. I felt disappointed because I really wanted to try Chef Rolando Laudico’s BFast All Day Breakfast Café, after reading Anton Diaz’s blog about it!

There are restaurants to choose from like Banapple and Bon Chon. I suggest you guys get there EARLY to get seats; otherwise, your patience will really be put to the test.

Mom said we’d go back, and hopefully this time, we get to see the show at length and get to eat at any of the restaurants there. :)